F
Dallas Cowboys
Conviction outran the board for the Cowboys, and it cost them: F.
by wgarrison ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 48 picks
· 7 steals
· 24 reaches
The Marvin Jones Jr. pick is the one that will follow the Cowboys into the fall. They took him 98 spots ahead of his grade, and the board is not shy about saying so. Little went right, and the F does not pretend otherwise.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. Landing Scott that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. They are betting the present roster is worth a lighter draft next spring.
They went 8 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
The verdict is harsh because the weekend was, and there is little to argue.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 12 they get a press-man option on the boundary. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 19 they get a home-run threat at receiver, outstanding value to boot. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In pick No. 20 they get a true top target at a price that makes it sweeter. Exactly the need they had to hit.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Lee Hunter in Round 1, Pick 25, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick 27 they get a run-stuffing presence up front, though the board says they badly overpaid. A real need, handled.
In the 28th overall pick they get a wrecking ball inside, a steep price for the projection. A clean fit for the roster.
In slot 29 they get the heartbeat of the defense, and a steal at that. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick No. 30 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In No. 31 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker. The biggest hole, addressed.
In the 32nd pick they get a go-to option on the outside. The biggest hole, addressed.
Denzel Boston at pick 33 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Dillon Thieneman at the Round 2 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Josiah Trotter this early at Round 2, Pick 6. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They went early on Gennings Dunker in the Round 2 slot, and the value did not follow. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
By-the-book stuff, Michael Taaffe at Round 3, Pick 3 squarely in line with his ranking. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Treydan Stukes in slot 102 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Keionte Scott in the 103rd pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They let Malik Muhammad come to them and pounced at pick No. 108. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for J.C. Davis. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A wild overpay on Dametrious Crownover in No. 112, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jack Endries. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Kaleb Proctor in pick 125 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board had cheaper options than CJ Daniels at No. 127, and it noticed. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They jumped the gun on Malik Benson, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Kevin Coleman Jr. at Round 4, Pick 33 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Mikail Kamara at the 138th overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
No drama and no debate, DeMonte Capehart went about where he belonged in the 139th pick. It fills a real need, too.
Skyler Gill-Howard in the Round 5 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
They took Tim Keenan III at par in slot 152, which is nothing to complain about. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Kaytron Allen at pick 154 is the proof. A need, and now a little less of one.
No edge and no loss on Louis Moore in No. 158; it is a wash and a sensible one. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Dae'Quan Wright at the 162nd pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Keagen Trost at slot 170 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A conviction pick on Matt Gulbin at Round 5, Pick 31 that the board grades a round light. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They liked DJ Campbell enough to skip the value, taking him in the Round 5 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They reached into another round for Cole Payton, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A real head-scratcher, Diego Pavia in pick No. 180 is miles ahead of his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Josh Cameron in No. 185 is fair value, right on his grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Joey Aguilar in the 218th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Chase Roberts is a better player than pick 220 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They paid sticker price for Aiden Fisher in the Round 7 slot, and that is fine. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A tidy little value on Zavion Thomas in the 228th pick, a step better than break-even. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Marvin Jones Jr. at slot 238 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
They reached a country mile for Haynes King at Round 7, Pick 27, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Trey Zuhn III at pick No. 247 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reach for Josh Moten in Round 7, Pick 40; a little patience would have been rewarded. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Jordan Hall at the 257th pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.